5700Ultra or 9600XT

NeoFX

Both cards are pretty new but which one holds top spot? Ive heard mixed feelings about the 5700U but lately Ive been looking more for info on the 9600XT and the rest of the "XT" cards.

I think I may be getting more interested in purchasing an ATi card
*what a sin!*

Slacker

Unless you want the HL2 voucher, there's no real reason to get the XT version. The 9600pro overclocks very well and is about $30 cheaper. ATi didn't increase the mem speed on the XT (big bottleneck there) so there's no compelling reason to get this card.

NeoFX

Hmm.. It's a tough decision... I really would like HL2 for "free" tho

I notice that ATI doesn't use very large coolers and no memory heatsinks... Do these not get very hot? Is the memory not oc'able because of lack of cooling? Or is just the chips that don't let you oc much...

Darksword

I've been debating between these cards myself lately to replace my old Ti4200. Is there a big difference in performance between the two?

BobyJo

Overall, the 9600XT will outperform the TI4200.
The #1 way it will outperform the 4200 is in DX9 games.
Just remember all games coming out in the future will be DX9 based, some are all DX9 and some will be DX9 and DX8 mixed, those latter games you probably could get by with, except the areas where the DX9 shaders are written in those scenes.
I am sure that nVidia will come wp with something that will read the DX9 shaders that MS is using.
However the writeup on the next generation cards from nVidia has not changed this area. They are changing the drivers to convert the DX9 shaders to a form that nVidia can read them. Just another pass as to get the video on the screen, and slow down the video.

yagga

hey, you know I'd be available to use that ti4200 if you get a new one and have no need for it anymore, hehehe:D

TheBaron

i think he meant between the 9600XT and the 5700U . at the very least, the 9600 will outperform the nvidia card in most dx9 applications, or at least have higher image qualities (nvidia still doesn't have their screwy driver problems resolved). anyway, the 9600XT ought to be the performance leader ANYWAY... pick that one

none-drink-water

so the 9600 pro and the 9600xt are pretty much the same????????????

what are the differences?

BobyJo

The XT will have 256mb of DDR memory and it will be faster memory than the 9600 Pro has.
The XT core will be clocked a bit higher than the Pro version. Overall the XT will be a bit faster than the Pro, but both will do exactly the same as far as gaming capabilities.

Massive_gas

I heard that the HL2 that you get with the XT is only the single player version of HL2

BobyJo

There is NO MULTIPLAYER version of HL2 at this time.

Massive_gas

Originally posted by BobyJo
There is NO MULTIPLAYER version of HL2 at this time.

wtf are you talking about, there is no version of HL2 whatsoever at this time.

unless you're talking about the leaked version ...yes you can play online with that

BobyJo

I heard that the HL2 that you get with the XT is only the single player version of HL2


This is your post above this post where I answered back to you. I should have stated " there is NO MULTIPLAYER version in the works at this time. So when you start jumping on someone, over replying to your post, be careful. You might hurt someone's feelings, if you are concerned about this.

uncleanlycorpse

oh jeez... i recently have been asking myself the same question. i have done a lot of research and from that, the following is apparent. The 9600XT is a fast(ish) card, but is limited, as it has a memory bandwidth of around 9GB/s, the nVida geforceFX 5700Ultra has a bandwidth of around 14GB/s. This is a major advantage, especially when running games at higher resolutions. In benchmarking at 1600x1200 res. the 9600XT it achieved a dismal 9.8fps on wolfstein:enemy territory, while the 5700ultra more than doubled that with 25.3fps, also the FX5700ultra has a memory clock of 900mhz, compared to the 9600XT's 600mhz. Getting a 256MB version of the 9600XT wont solve the problem either, as the aforementioned bandwidth would render it almost useless. To top it all off, gainward do a pre-overclocked version of this card with a 1000mhz mem. clock for around £30/$50 less than an 9600XT. addmitedly radeon have had the advantage for around the last two years, as the geforce offerings have been very poor, but this chipset places nvida fimrly back over radeon in the mid-performance category. well, i hope that was of help.

NeoFX

Well, my debate is over. I actually ended up buying a Albatron GeForce FX5900PV 128mb w/ 2.2ns memory. Got it for 203... Its faster (maybe not that great with DX9 games yet, but it will get better Im hoping!)

BobyJo

UNCleanlyCorpse::
Anyone can make the nVidia cards sound the best, then the same can be said for the ATI cards.
What really matters is what makes the person that ownes the system happy.
You seem to be nVidia prone and wish that the card you look to be better than a specific ATI card.
Some of us have no problems in installing the ATI cards and getting superior performance from such card.
I am sure you are the same when it comes to nVidia cards.
So we go round and round speeling off specs and telling tales of this or that when in the end which ever card makes the owner feel he has gotton his top dollar value from the card he has purchased will make him feel gratified to the max.
This is why you see certain individuals going around with thier head held a degree or two at a higher angle than the average joe.

NeoFX

That was probably the best comment I have ever read on a forum. Very nicely put lol... I think just the way you do but never can think of a way to tell everyone that lol.

uncleanlycorpse

i agree you have a point, but i am not an Nvidia purist, or particularly have a preference to either brand, if i were buying a high end graphics card, i would immediately opt for a 9800XT. i think this is a far better top end card than anything Nvidia can currently offer. but i do see your point about how peoples prefence can lead them to influence people in a certain direction.